PRESS RELEASE BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER Speaker Carmelo Abela meets Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister and French Parliamentary Friendship Group

Speaker of the House of Representatives Carmelo Abela held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Juraj Blanár and received a delegation of the Parliamentary Friendship Group of the French Senate during separate meetings held at the Parliament of Malta.

During his meeting with Minister Blanár, Speaker Abela discussed bilateral relations between Malta and Slovakia, parliamentary cooperation and matters of common interest within the European Union.

Speaker Abela welcomed the positive development of relations between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1993, noting that there remains considerable potential to further strengthen political, parliamentary, economic and people-to-people contacts. He emphasised the important role of parliamentary diplomacy in complementing relations between governments and expressed support for increased exchanges between the Maltese Parliament and the National Council of the Slovak Republic, including at committee and institutional level.

Both sides recognised that dialogue leading to lasting peace is of paramount importance in the Middle East, Ukraine and the Mediterranean. There was a general positive understanding that EU enlargement in respect of the Balkan region will bring stability and security in the region.

The Speaker and Minister Blanár agreed on the importance of continuing to strengthen Malta-Slovakia relations and identifying new opportunities for cooperation that can bring tangible benefits to both countries and their peoples.

Earlier, Speaker Abela received a delegation of the Parliamentary Friendship Group of the French Senate, led by Senator Aymeric Durox, Chair of the Friendship Group. The visit provided an opportunity to further strengthen parliamentary relations between Malta and France and to exchange views on matters of mutual interest.

The Speaker welcomed the continued engagement between the two parliaments and emphasised the importance of parliamentary friendship groups in strengthening bilateral relations, facilitating political dialogue and promoting closer contacts between parliamentarians.

The delegation also met with the Chairpersons and members of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee and the Malta-France Parliamentary Friendship Group John Grech and Clint Azzopardi Flores respectively.